Kabwe Mayor Prince Chileshe has advised leaders and members of the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) to avoid partisan politics in church but to instead express their views and opinions in the ballot box.

Mr. Chileshe says the church is a place where people of different political parties meet to worship hence no one should express their partisan opinion in the congregation.

He says the church must work with the government of the day to ensure that there is peace and unity in the country.

He was speaking yesterday when he attended a church service at St. Andrews UCZ congregation in Kabwe.

Mr. Chileshe has meanwhile expressed concern that some opposition party members have been making pledges to help the church but they have failed to honour them.

He said President Edgar Lungu has worked well with the United Church in Zambia in many ways adding that he has responded well to their request.

The Kabwe Mayor told the church that it was only President Lungu who can attend to their problems because he is the Head of State with the heart to assist the needy.

Mr. Chileshe has since pledged to adopt 80 percent of the remaining works of the church which include terrazzo floor painting and maintenance of the surroundings.

And Congregation Reverend-In-Charge, Teddy Mubonga, said his church will continue to support the government of the day.

Ensuring business continuity in markets with compliance to COVID-19 measures Lusaka, Zambia, 17 February 2021: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Lusaka City Council (LCC) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) today launched the pilot phase of the Safe Markets, Safe Communities project, an initiative towards ensuring that community markets are compliant to COVID-19 public health regulations. The initiative is co-funded by UNDP and the Governments of Sweden and Ireland.

“The project will strengthen knowledge and individual collective responsibilities toward adhering to public health regulations and prevent the spread of the deadly virus in our markets,” says Lusaka Deputy Mayor, Christopher Shakafuswa.

“As Lusaka City Council, we would like to thank the United Nations Development Programme for supplementing government’s efforts towards the fight against COVID-19 in markets and look forward to a successful partnership in executing identified activities efficiently” the Lusaka Deputy Mayor said.

The event which was restricted to only 14 guests, in compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures, had in attendance the Lusaka Deputy Mayor, Christopher Shakafuswa, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Roland Seri, the Ministry of Health’s Director of Public Health, Dr. Andrew Silumesi, the LCC’s Director of Public Health, Edgar Mulwanda and the LCC’s Director of Housing and Social Services, Danny Chibinda along with three representatives from Nyumba Yanga, Chilenje and Lilanda Markets that were selected for the pilot phase.

Handing over an assortment of equipment, cleaning and awareness creation materials to the Lusaka City Council, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Roland Seri emphasized the need to help protect the livelihoods of women and youth who work in markets by enabling them continue their activities while adhering to COVID-19 measures.

“Markets have not only served as sources of affordable food to most households in the country but help to provide a means of income generation for the many women and youth that have set up livelihood ventures in these places. It is the protection of this means of income that makes this intervention robust as it is aimed at ensuring business continuity in potentially high COVID-19 risk places,’’ Seri said.

Speaking through a video message, the Swedish Ambassador to Zambia, Her Excellency, Ms. Anna Maj Hultgård said that the project would ensure gender equality and the empowerment of women by implementing affirmative action for sustaining women’s economic activities in the selected markets.

“The launch of the safe markets project is an example of efforts to reduce vulnerability to Gender Based Violence by addressing the economic disempowerment of women resulting from restrictions around COVID-19. The safe markets will enable women, which are the majority of traders in the market, to continue trading in a way that minimizes or at least limits the risk of COVID-19”, said Ambassador Hultgård.

UNDP is supporting the Safe Markets initiative as part of the UN Zambia support to the Government’s response to COVID-19. UNDP hopes that by collectively rethinking and adapting existing market models to COVID-19 Compliant Models, community behaviour will be positively impacted, thus leading to the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 arising from community ownership while preserving the livelihoods of communities.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Vice Prime Minister Willy Ngoopos says Zambia’s tourism sector has succeeded because of the country’s peaceful environment.

Mr. Ngoopos says Zambia has built its good tourism profile because it has never experienced civil wars.

ZANIS reports that Mr. Ngoopos was speaking shortly after visiting the Victoria Falls for in Livingstone.

He noted that there is no tourist who can visit a country where there is no peace.

He has since urged Zambians to maintain the peace which the country has enjoyed since independence adding that without peace, no tourism can thrive.

And Mr. Ngoopos, who was visiting the Victoria Falls for the first time in his lifetime, described the natural wonder as unique.

He said Zambia as a country stands out in Africa because it is endowed with not only waterfalls but also wild animals.

And Housing and Infrastructure Development Minister Vincent Mwale, who accompanied Mr. Ngoopos to Livingstone, said the current government has anchored the economy around tourism.

Mr. Mwale thanked Mr. Ngoopos for acknowledging Zambia’s peace credentials.

Mr. Ngoopos, who was in the country for a bilateral meeting on the Kasomeno-Mwenda toll road and Luapula bridge project, has since returned to DRC.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, February 21, 2021/ — FIFA (www.FIFA.com) and the African Union have agreed to launch a schools football competition following a meeting in Kinshasa between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Félix Tshisekedi, who is also the current Chairperson of the African Union (AU).

The two presidents, who had initiated discussions last week by videoconference, met at the Palais de la Nation in the DRC’s capital to further their productive talks of the previous days, and central to their exchange was the need to use the power of football to improve lives and to harness the possibilities it offers to instil positive values in young people.

On this subject, both the FIFA President and the AU Chairperson agreed to use the framework of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the African Union, FIFA and CAF, to organise schools football competition across Africa, which will kick off in the DRC. To initiate the project, a protocol was signed this afternoon between FIFA and the Ministry of Sports and Leisure of the DRC.

“President Tshisekedi is passionate about football, and I’m delighted that we can work together to give hope to all children across Africa thanks to football,” the FIFA President said at the conclusion of the meeting. “Together, FIFA, AU, CAF and our member associations will develop competitions and training for the youth through football, because football is more than a sport, it is a school of life. Through football, you can teach respect for adversaries and rules, learning how to play as a team, how to win and lose. With this schools championship we plan to make these values, which are already strong in Africa, even stronger.”

Subsequently, the FIFA President also had the opportunity to visit the offices of the Congo DR Football Association (FECOFA) and to meet with FECOFA President Constant Omari, the FECOFA executive committee and several representatives of the football community of Congo DR.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA).

SOURCE
Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA)

Southern Province Minister Edify Hamukale says upgrading of the basic school at Katombora Reformatory, to a secondary school will help enhance security at the institution, as lads will no longer need to go outside Kazungula District for their secondary education.

Dr Hamukale said having a secondary school would also help to curb discrimination of juveniles by teachers and pupils which was prevalent in the past, when they had to go to other schools for their secondary education.

The Provincial Minister commended the Ministry of General Education for supplementing the efforts of the Zambia Correctional Service by upgrading the school from basic to secondary level.

Dr Hamukale said this in a speech read for him by Southern Province Permanent Secretary, Joyce Nsamba in Kazungula , at the conversion ceremony of Katombora Reformatory Basic to a secondary school.

He further said, as indicated in the Patriotic Front Manifesto, human capital development through education and skills training was instrumental for the transformation of the country.

“This is particularly so, given the global competitiveness, rapid advancements in technology and sustained demands for high productivity and performance. This does not leave lads behind as they are also part of our society,” he said.

Dr Hamukale reiterated that upgrade of the school would address the security and distance situation.

“It is therefore, our desire to ensure that you receive the best education whilst serving your sentences. It is my hope that you will use your time in this school with a lot of productivity,” he said.

And Zambia Correctional Service (ZCS), Commissioner General Chisela Chileshe called on the traditional leadership to support government as it delivered development to the area.

Dr . Chileshe said the support of the traditional leadership was needed if government projects in the area were to be actualized.

He said government had provided a lot of support to Katombora Reformatory School to ease their transport and other challenges.

Mr. Chileshe further said plans were underway to build specialized rooms at the school such as science laboratories and to turn the school into a boarding school in the near future.

And Home Affairs Permanent Secretary Masiye Banda said government was committed to reform the juveniles at the institution.

Mr. Banda said government also intended to decentralize reformatory schools so as to make the reform process of the lads more effective.

He said moving young people, who committed crimes to places that were far from their homes, had a negative impact on them as they were separated from their families for long periods.

Mr. Banda said it was in the interest of the juveniles to serve their sentences in places that were near their homes, so they did not get detached from their families.

And Southern Province Acting Provincial Education Officer Peggy Chilema said the school would not just benefit the lads, but the community as well.

Ms Chilema said specialised rooms such as science laboratories, home economics unit would soon be constructed at the school and teachers would be deployed to enhance manpower.

The International Federation of people living with Albinism and Blindness IFPAB President Pastor John Ngoma has refuted claims suggesting that about thirteen thousand people have been swindled money by the Federation.

Pastor Ngoma was reacting to a story that was aired on Znbc TV channel both on the main news at 19:00hrs and on its 20:00hrs news bulletins on 18 February 2021 alleging that the about thirteen thousand out of over thirty thousand members registered by the federation were swindled by the federation.

He said this in a statement made available to Zanis in Lusaka today.

“we have 30,000 members registered and no one has come forth with a complaint to the federation that they were swindled ,hence the allegations are not true and unfounded,” Pastor Ngoma said.

He wondered why ZNBC could not communicate with the federation to verify the issue before airing the story on television .

The organization has since given the national broadcaster ZNBC four days to apologies as failure to not doing so will attract legal action.

Pastor Ngoma claimed that that a crew entered the premises without permission and filmed the documents of the organization without seeking authority to the organization.

In a related development, the organization will provide educational support from primary to tertiary to children who do not have financial support in order to enhance equal access to education among

“ we have registered a number of students on the bursary program that we have given commitment letters and memorandum of understanding with various institutions of learning.

IFPAB is present in all the 10 provinces across the country with support from persons living with disabilities, old aged including able bodied men and women empowerment.

The Zambia Police Service in Rufunsa district have detained some suspects for unlawful possession of firearms, prohibited articles and suspected stolen motor vehicle.

Police Spokesperson Esther Katongo said police intercepted and apprehended Bright Machona aged 39 of Mabvuto close in parklands Kitwe who was driving a Toyota corolla, registration number ABE 1000 which appeared to have a folded number plate.

Ms Katonga said the suspect was apprehended on Friday 18, 2021 around 05:00 hours near fresh air area in Rufunsa.

“when we searched, the suspect was found with a shotgun, an air gun, two Kenwood radios, two Motorola radios of which one is mounted on the same vehicle, a blue police coat, one black police helmet, one police bullet vest, a teargas canister and a green military vest,” she said.

She said it was discovered that the engine number on the vehicle he was driving did not match with particulars on the motor vehicle documents.

Ms Kaongo said that the suspect is further reported to have failed to produce documents pertaining to the firearms, motor vehicle and an Identity Card to substantiate his claims that he is a police reserve and that he runs a security company.

In another development Police in Mafinga District of Muchinga Province, are looking for three suspects identified as Jailos Kafunda, James Mutambo and one other unknown person in connection with the murder of Feckson Mutambo aged 59 of Kakusa Village who is also village headman Kakusa.

Ms Katongo alleged that the murder occurred on February 19, 2021 around 18:00 hours in Kakusa Village, Chief Chifungwe of Mafinga District.

“According to the wife of the victim, Feedless Nangogo aged 46, her husband was hacked to death by his two Young brothers Jailos Kafunda, and James Mutambo and one unknown person all of Kakusa village and he sustained three deep cuts in the head as an axe is alleged to have been used in the act,” She said.

Ms Katongo further said on February 19, 2021 around 18:00 hours, the victim was home with his wife Feedless Nangogo who was preparing a meal while their Son Maybin Mutambo aged 22 was in the house.

She said the wife narrated that when she went in the house to get mealie meal leaving the now victim alone and later the victim’s suspects begun beating him then hacked him in the head using an axe.

Ms Katonga said the wife and son who went to his rescue were overpowered and in the process the wife was assaulted and sustained a swollen left hand and the suspects later fled and left the victim in a pool of blood in unconscious state.

She said the victim died on the way to the local clinic and arrangements are being made to transport body to Isoka District Hospital for postmortem.

Ms Katongo said the reason behind the murder is that the victim was being suspected to be behind the death of a family member who died in June 2020.

All the suspects are currently on the run and a manhunt has been launched.